Morning Nourishment - Stars, the Man-child, the Firstfruits, the Harvest, and Jasper and Other Precious Stones
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Day 1
Verses: Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches… 2 Pet. 1:19 And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. In the book of Revelation stars are the shining ones in the churches… ”The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches” [1:20]. These messengers are the spiritual ones in the churches. They may not be responsible for the affairs of the church, but they are responsible for bearing the testimony of Jesus [vv. 2, 9]. As stars, they should be of the heavenly nature and in a heavenly position. The stars may or may not be elders. It is certain that they are the faithful ones, the genuinely spiritual ones, the overcoming ones among the saints in the church. In the sight of God such ones are shining stars. All believers should aspire to be stars. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1221-1222)
In the Bible we see how we may not only follow the star but even become one of the stars. There are two ways: first, by the Bible, and second, by the Spirit. Second Peter 1:19 gives us the first secret…We have the prophetic word, the Bible. However, the prophetic word is not the star…This verse says that since we have the prophetic word, we need to give heed to it, we need to pay full attention to it, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. The Bible should not simply be words in black and white; it should not be dead letters. We should give heed to the words of the Bible until something as phosphorous rises within us—that is, Christ as the morning star. If we deal with the Word livingly and properly, it surely will turn into the living Christ. This is the turning point—the Word needs to be turned into Christ; the written word needs to be turned into the living word. We can never separate Christ from the living word. We should give heed to the prophetic word until it rises within us as Christ, as the phosphorous, as the day breaking through the darkness. In 2 Peter we have the prophetic word, but in Revelation we have the seven Spirits. Revelation 3:1 says, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” The hand of Jesus holds not only the seven stars but also the seven Spirits. This means that the seven Spirits are one with the seven stars, and the seven stars are one with the seven Spirits. If we have the living word as the morning star rising within us and we are one with the seven Spirits, eventually we will become the stars. We not only have the star shining within us, but by looking to the star and following in the Spirit, we become the stars. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “New Testament Service,” pp. 287-289) Balaam was hired by Balak to curse the children of Israel. But instead of cursing God’s people, Balaam blessed them. Speaking on behalf of God, Balaam said, “He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, / Nor has He seen trouble in Israel” (Num. 23:21). Furthermore, in Numbers 24:5 Balaam said, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob, / Your tabernacles, O Israel!” According to these verses, God did not see iniquity or trouble in Israel. Instead, He saw only goodness, fairness, and beauty. The same is true regarding the church today. Do not say that the church is low or dead. The more you say this, the more you put yourself under a curse. However, if you praise the Lord for the church life and speak well concerning it, you will put yourself under God’s blessing… Those who speak positively about the church, declaring that the church is lovely and that it is God’s house, receive the blessing. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 78-79) Further Reading: CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “New Testament Service,” ch. 6;
Day 2
Verses: 1 Cor. 3:12 But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble. 16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, and such are you. A proper star has a certain position and fixed orbit. It continues in its course steadfastly. However, there are some stars with no fixed position or orbit; they are wandering stars…If you follow them, you will be misled; eventually, you will not know where to go…They have no ground; they have no standing; they have no certain way to go on with the Lord. Today they say one thing, and tomorrow they will say something different…We need to be careful. We cannot find Jesus by following a wandering star. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “New Testament Service,” p. 292)
Ezekiel 25—32 speaks of seven nations that surrounded the nation of Israel…These seven nations are divided into three groups. The first four nations—Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia—form the first group; Tyre and Sidon make up the second group; and Egypt stands alone. The Ammonites…were happy about three things: the sanctuary being desecrated, the good land being desolated, and the house of Judah being carried away. This indicates that they hated the sanctuary, the Holy Land, and the house of Judah. According to typology…the sanctuary signifies Christ, the good land signifies all of God’s rich grace in Christ, and the house of Judah signifies the church. Today’s Ammonites hate these three things. They hate Christ, they hate the grace of God in Christ, and they hate the church. The Moabites said, “Look, the house of Judah is just like all the other nations!” (25:8)…Thus, they signify those who desire to bring the church into an association with the world and to make the church the same as the nations. Edom was the son of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Therefore, Edom and the sons of Israel were cousins. Edom signifies the old man; he signifies us as the old man. Our unregenerated old man is Edom, and our regenerated new man is Israel. We may say that, in a sense, our old man and our new man are “cousins,” for they are quite close to each other. According to the record of Ezekiel, Edom was full of hatred toward Israel, continually seeking revenge and vengeance. This is the way we are in our old man. Our old man hates the church…Have you not discovered that you are two men? On the one hand, you are a real Israelite loving the church; on the other hand, you are also a real Edomite, hating the church. Sometimes you love the church and all the leading ones, but at other times you hate the church and all the elders. Tyre typifies those who are seeking worldly wealth, those who desire to make a great deal of money and to be rich. They will sacrifice everything related to the Lord for the sake of their business. They do not care for the Lord’s interest but care only for their wealth, riches, and business. [These] seven kinds of people…can damage the church life. Some are against the church, hating Christ, God’s salvation, and God’s grace. These are the “Ammonites.” Others creep into the church and try to bring the church into association with the world and to make the church the same as the world. These are the “Moabites.” Then there are the “Edomites,” the old man, and the “Philistines,” the natural man. The “Tyrians” seek the riches of the world, and the “Sidonians” become briers and thorns to the church due to the seeking of riches. Finally, there are the “Egyptians,” those who, independent of God, seek worldly riches by developing their own resources to be rich in supply and to be a source of supply for others. These are the different people who can be a damage to the church life. We all need to be on the alert that none of us would become these kinds of persons. (Life-study of Ezekiel, pp. 164-168, 170) Further Reading: Life-study of Ezekiel, msgs. 15—16
Day 3
Verses: Rev. 12:5 And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death. Another symbol of the believers is that of the man-child (Rev. 12:5) brought forth by the universal, bright woman. Throughout all generations there have been some stronger ones among God’s people. In the Bible these are considered a collective unit—the man-child—fighting the battle for God and bringing God’s kingdom down to earth. In the Bible the woman signifies the weaker one and the man the stronger one (1 Pet. 3:7). Hence, the man- child in Revelation 12:5 signifies the stronger part of God’s people. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1223-1224)
The key to becoming the stronger part within the woman is being strengthened into our inner man [Eph. 3:16], [which is our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit]. In verse 18 Paul continues to pray that we would “be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are.” We must be empowered to know the dimensions of the riches of our Christ. In order to be the man-child, we must be not only strengthened into our inner man but also nourished with all the riches of Christ. The way to become the stronger part within the woman is to be strengthened into our inner man, to be empowered to experience the riches of Christ, and to be strong through putting on the all-inclusive Christ as our armor [vv. 16, 18; 6:10-11]. The way to fight is to take the word of God by means of all prayer…The most effective way to war against the enemy is to pray-read the Word, and the best portion of the Word to pray-read is the book of Ephesians…Instead of trying to understand the book of Ephesians, you should pray-read it, even covering the whole book in two weeks. If you do this, you will be able to testify that you are becoming the stronger part within the woman. The word in Ephesians 6 is a sword…This sword does not kill you— it slays the enemy and all the negative things within you. If we would fight against the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies, we must first kill all the “bugs” within us. The brothers who constitute the man-child fight Satan and eventually overcome him. They overcome Satan by three things: by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their soul-life even unto death. The blood of the Lamb, which is for our redemption, answers before God all the accusations of the devil against us and gives us the victory over him. We need to apply this blood whenever we sense the accusation of the devil. They also overcame the enemy by “the word of their testimony” [Rev. 12:11]. This is their word testifying that the devil has been judged by the Lord. Whenever we sense the devil’s accusation, we should verbally testify how the Lord has already dealt with him. We must declare the Lord’s victory over him with the uttered word…You need to preach to Satan, saying, “Satan, don’t you know that you have been crucified on the cross? You have been judged, and your destination is the lake of fire.” This is the testimony of your verbal word. The brothers also overcame the enemy by not loving their soul-life. Because of Adam’s fall, Satan has joined himself to man’s soul-life, man’s self (Matt. 16:23-24). Hence, to overcome him we must not love our soul-life but rather hate it and deny it (Luke 14:26; 9:23). The overcoming believers who constitute the man-child do not love their soul-life even unto death. Those who do not love their soul-life are willing to be martyred. We must hate our self. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 499-501, 407, 409-412) Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 29—30, 35—36, 45—
Day 4
Verses: Rev. 1:9 I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Col. 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church. The New Testament…clearly reveals that David typifies Christ (Matt. 12:3). Hence, David’s wife is a type of the church. David had at least three wives…Only Abigail (1 Sam. 25:42) possesses a feature typifying the church. David typifies the warring Christ in the midst of sufferings; thus, his wife Abigail typifies the warring church in the midst of sufferings. From 1 Samuel 25 onward, Abigail was always at the side of David the warrior and followed him in his wars…Abigail’s previous husband shows how evil our old man is in forsaking Christ. Abigail’s previous husband was Nabal, which means “fool” (25:25). Nabal despised, rejected, and opposed David at the time of his destitution (vv. 10-11). This typifies that our nature rejects Christ, despises Christ, and opposes Christ. One day, however, Nabal was struck down, and he died. This provided Abigail the opportunity to become David’s wife. This indicates that when our corrupted nature, which forsook Christ, rejected Christ, and despised Christ, was struck down, we became Christ’s counterpart who follows Him in the midst of sufferings, fighting for the kingdom of God. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, “Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1: The Meaning of the Church,” p. 109)
Gideon, a marvelous judge who was called by Jehovah in a very particular way, was successful because of four things. First, he listened carefully to the word of God, something that was rare among the children of Israel at that time. Second, Gideon obeyed God’s word and acted on it. Third, he tore down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah (Judg. 6:25-28). This touched God’s heart…God as the genuine Husband regarded all the idols as men with whom His wife Israel had committed harlotry. Fourth, by tearing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah that belonged to his father, Gideon sacrificed his relationship with his father and his enjoyment of society. The selection of the three hundred [7:2-7]…stresses the sacrifice of our personal interests and enjoyment for God’s purpose. When Gideon blew the trumpet to call the people to fight against the Midianites, thirty-two thousand responded. God said that those who were with Gideon were too many for God to deliver Midian into their hand, for Israel might have vaunted himself against God, saying, “My own hand has saved me” (v. 2). By telling Gideon that he had too many people, God was indicating that He would fight for them. First, twenty-two thousand went home because they were afraid (v. 3). Then Jehovah tested the remaining ten thousand by bringing them to the water to drink. Those who…lapped as a dog laps were sent home (v. 5). Only the three hundred who lapped the water into their mouths with their hands were chosen by God for the battle against Midian (v. 6)…Like Gideon, these three hundred were willing to sacrifice in order to be used by God (Life-study of Judges, pp. 23-24). Gideon and those three hundred men moved together and acted in one accord. All of their flesh was cut off, so they could be one. This is the oneness in the Spirit and a living in the Body. The record in the New Testament is a record of meetings rather than a record of working. The three hundred men fought the battle, yet the whole congregation chased the enemy…When we overcome, the whole body is revived. To stand at the bottom of the river is not for ourselves, but for the whole body. “I…fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). (CWWN, vol. 11, p. 774) Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 11, pp. 771-775; Life-study of Judges, msgs.
Day 5
Verses: Rev. 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. These are they who…are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He may go. These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. These…early overcomers [in Revelation 14:1 and 4]…will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb…The harvest will be reaped later. This means that the first-fruits will be raptured to the heavens before the harvest, just as the firstfruits of the good land were reaped and brought into the temple of God before the harvest (Lev. 23:10-11; Exo. 23:19). Whereas the man-child refers to the dead overcomers throughout all the dispensations, the firstfruits refers to the living overcomers at the end of this age. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1226)
What is the meaning of rapture? It is to be taken into the Lord’s presence. If you would be taken into His presence, you must be in His presence today. Much of your praising and fellowshipping may not be in His presence but may simply be according to your own choice. You are not in the presence of the Lord but in your preference and taste. When you desire to fellowship, the Lord may say, “Go to work or study.” The man-child is for fighting and defeating Satan. Hence, the man-child deals with the enemy. The firstfruits are not for fighting; they are for the satisfaction of God and the Lamb. God and the Lamb need enjoyment. We, the living overcomers, will be the firstfruits to satisfy Their need for enjoyment. You must…spend your time in loving the Lord, saying, “Lord, I enjoy looking at You and talking to You. Lord, I want to satisfy You, to be one with You, and to stay in Your presence.” Learn to spend time loving the Lord Jesus in an intimate way. If you have never had such a time, you are short. It is not adequate merely to be sinless. It is not sufficient simply to be good or right. We must be in love with the Lord. Although I do not like the term in love, I am forced to use it. We all need to fall in love with the Lord Jesus, telling Him, “O Lord Jesus, I love You, and You know that I love You. Because I love You, Lord, there are certain things that I will not do.” This is the way to be a living overcomer. Although the Lord certainly needs the man-child to fight against His enemy, He needs the firstfruits, His lovers, even more to be His satisfaction. We should be not only fighters but also firstfruits, those who ripen earlier for the Lord’s satisfaction. We need to say, “Lord, for the sake of Your satisfaction, I want to ripen early. Lord, I don’t care for my rapture—I care for Your satisfaction. I want to be taken to the heavens to satisfy You. Lord, as long as I can satisfy You, it makes no difference to me whether I am on earth or in heaven.” This is the attitude of the living overcomers. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 330-331, 516-518) The case of Enoch, the first mention of the rapture, establishes the principle of the rapture…It is to be matured in life by walking with God. Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and God took him away (Gen. 5:22-24). Do you expect to be raptured? If you do, you need to walk with God. We should not only call upon the name of the Lord but should also walk with God. The calling must be followed by the walking. To walk with God is not to override God, not to be presumptuous, not to do things according to our own concept and desire, nor is it to do anything without God. To walk with God is to take Him as our center and everything, to do things according to His revelation and leading, and to do everything with Him. It is not only to live for God and to do things for God but to live and to do things according to God and with God. (Life-study of Genesis, p. 350) Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 26
Day 6
Verses: Rev. 4:3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone… 21:11 …Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal. 18-19 And the building work of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold…The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation was jasper… Now we come to the last, consummating, and most striking symbol of the believers in the New Testament—jasper and other precious stones… Eventually all believers will be transformed into precious stones. By nature we are clay. But from the time we were regenerated, we began to be transformed. Jasper signifies the appearance of God shining with the glory of God as the light of the New Jerusalem for the expression of God. In Revelation 4:3 we are clearly told that God sitting on the throne has the appearance of jasper which, according to 21:11, is “a most precious stone…clear as crystal.” Its color must be dark green, which signifies life in its richness. Jasper here, as 21:11 indicates, signifies God’s communicable glory in His rich life (John 17:22, 2). It is the appearance of God, which will also be the appearance of the New Jerusalem. The city’s wall and first foundation are built with it (Rev. 21:18-19). (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1231)
Since jasper is God’s appearance, His expression, and since we shall be transformed into jasper, this means that we shall be the corporate expression of the Triune God…The entire city will bear God’s appearance, God’s expression. This corresponds to the word in 1 John 3:2: “We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is.” God and the believers will have the same appearance—the appearance of jasper. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of Genesis 1:26, for this will be the splendid, corporate expression of the Triune God. In Revelation 21:19 and 20 the believers are symbolized by eleven other precious stones in addition to jasper [that] signify the riches of the beauty of Christ in different aspects for the foundation of God’s eternal dwelling. Christ is the foundation stone of God’s building in eternity, and all the precious stones are different aspects of the riches of Christ as the foundation. The colors of the precious stones in 21:19 and 20 give the appearance of a rainbow. This signifies that the city of New Jerusalem is built upon and secured by God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant (Gen. 9:8-17). Because the foundation is built upon the faithfulness with which God keeps His covenant, it is trustworthy and reliable. Therefore, the foundation of the New Jerusalem will be an eternal rainbow guaranteeing the faithfulness of God… The faithfulness of God is the sure foundation upon which the New Jerusalem is built. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1231-1232) [Revelation 21:19-20 lists] the names of twelve precious stones, which are the twelve apostles of the Lamb, each of whom is signified by a precious stone. Peter, the first of the twelve apostles, was originally named Simon. When Simon was brought to the Lord, the Lord changed his name to Peter, meaning “a stone” (John 1:42). Later, the Lord called him by that name when He spoke concerning the building of His church (Matt. 16:18)…All the apostles were created as clay, but they were regenerated and transformed into precious stones for God’s eternal building. Every believer needs to be thus regenerated and transformed that he may be a part of the New Jerusalem. The first layer of the wall’s foundation, as well as the entire wall of the New Jerusalem, is built with jasper. This indicates that the main material in the building of the holy city is jasper. Since jasper signifies God expressed in His transmittable glory, the main function of the holy city is to express God in bearing His glory (Rev. 21:11). (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 694-695) Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 113